Wave sprinkler



Dec. 8, 1964 E. J. HUNTER WAVE SPRINKLER Filed April 29, 1963 ISIRRIGATED AREA J I W? [m United States Patent 3,160,348 WAVE SPRINKLER Edwinl. Hunter, Mariano-Made, Inn, R0. Box 489,

Riverside, Calif. Filed Apr. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 276,482 6 Claims. (Cl. 239-401) This invention relates to wave sprinklers. Wave sprinklers utilize a row of sprinkler jets or nozzles arranged along an arcuate, upwardly facing surface of a member which is caused to oscillate back and forth, so that the water is discharged in the form of a flat fan which waves back and forth.

This type of sprinkler offers several advantages over other types of sprinklers. A rectangular area, rather than a circular or semicircular area, is covered. This area may be much larger, and the precipitation rate may be much lower, than is feasible with other types of sprinklers. Wave sprinklers operate well at low pressures, and are not dependent upon breakup of the water stream as in other sprinklers, so that its distribution pattern is not materially affected by pressure as in the case of other sprinklers. Also the water reaches the ground through a high trajectory to accomplish even distribution around shrubbery and plants, although this makes wave sprinklers susceptible to wind.

Wave sprinklers have been, heretofore, relatively large and clumsy and available only as portable hose sprinklers. They have been driven by crank arm and connecting link, which results in rapid traverse in the center of the pattern and slow at the ends of the pattern, resulting in uneven distribution. 1

With the advantages as well as disadvantages of the conventional wave sprinkler in mind, the objects of this invention include:

First, to provide a wave sprinkler which may be permanently installed under groundwith a minimum area exposed.

Second, to provide a wave sprinkler incorporating a novel compact sprinkler head which may be encased in a housing that is closed except for a narrow jet exit slit.

Third, to provide a wave sprinkler which, when installed in a lawn, may be set well below the grass level by reason of the fact that the jet streams issue at high angles to clear the surrounding grass even if the lawn is not mowed for long periods.

zle ports 18.

Fourth, to provide a wave sprinkler which is particularly adapted to be driven by the special fluid motor disclosed in the copending application, Serial No. 86,039 filed January 31, 1961 for Sprinkler now Patent 3,107,056, issued October 15, 1963, and when so driven moves at a uniform rate throughout its traverse to eifect particularly 1 uniform distribution.

of plot which is irrigated by the wave sprinkler, and indieating a typical area irrigated by the sprinkler and also indicating the relative position of the wave sprinkler;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the wave sprinkler; FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional sectional view thereof taken through 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view thereof taken through 4-4 of FIGURE 2; t

3,150,348 Patented Dec. 8, 1964 FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the cover taken through 5--5 of FIGURE 2. I

The wave sprinkler includes a housing 1 having a bottom 2 and upwardly diverging walls 3 defining a rectangle.

The housing 1 is fitted with a cover 4, preferably provided with downturned marginal flanges 5, and secured in place by screws 6. The housing 1 and cover 4 together define a side opening 7 having an internal channel 8. 1

Extending laterally from the side opening 7 is a fluid motor 9 having a flanged end 10 which is clamped in the channel 8. The fluid motor 9 is more fully shown and described in the copending applications Serial No. 86,039, filed January 31, 1961, for Sprinkler, now Patent 3,107,056, issued October 15, 1963, and Serial No. 268,- 937, filed March 29, 1963 for Sprinkler.

The fluid motor as shown in the above-identified ap plications is arranged to effect oscillation of a sprinkler head through preselected areas. It is important to note that the fluid motor therein described causes the sprinkler head to move at a constant rate through its arc of travel and then reverses quickly and travels in the opposite direction.

In the exercise of the present invention, an oscillating shaft 11 of the fluid motor 9 receives a special discharge tube 12 and a sprinkler head 13 in place of the stem and sprinkler head shown in said applications.

The discharge tube 12 extends horizontally into the housing 1 and is provided with a discharge slot 14 at its under side. The sprinkler head 13 encases the discharge tube 12 to form therearound a relatively large chamber 15.

The sprinkler head 13 includes an upper wall 16 which is concave, forming a partial cylinder. erally upwardly from the concave surface of the upper side 16 are two nozzle bosses 17. The nozzle bosses form partial helices, starting in an essentially common plane extending vertically through the axis of the discharge tube 12, and extending in opposite directions therefrom toward the laterai'extremities and the transverse axis of the sprinkler head.

Each nozzle boss 17 is provided with a series of 1102- The axes of both series of nozzle ports 18 intersect a line forming the axis of the concave cylindrical wall 16. This line is designated A, and is indicated by a broken line in FIGURE 4 and also'by the point at which the lines B cross in FIGURE 3. The axes of the nozzle port 18 are spaced circumferentially with respect to the line A, so that the respective streams converge upwardly toward the line A and then diverge upwardly therefrom. The axes of the nozzles are equally spaced along the line A so that they do not intersect each other. 7

The cover 4 is provided with an exit slot 20 which is approximately tangent to the line A. The side walls of the slot 20 are beveled at their under sides to clear the converging streams of water. The circumferential extremities of the slot 20 terminate substantially below the surface of the cover 4, whereas the central portion of the slot 24 is essentially tangent to the normal surface of the cover 4. Continuing from the circumferential ends of the slot 20 are diverging end walls 21.

The sides of the slot 20 below the norm-a1 surface of the cover 4 form outwardly diverging side walls 22. The

intersection of the side walls 22 with the normal surface of the cover 4 forms curved lines diverging toward the circumferential extremities of the slot 20, and at ap Extending latthe irrigated area, represented by the arrow C in FIGURE 1, may be adjusted. An inherent feature of the above cited fluid motor is that the rate of rotation of its output shaft is uniform, and reversal takes place quickly at the ends of the oscillatory movement irrespective of the arcencompassed by the oscillations.

All of the streams from the two series of nozzle ports 18 converge and cross in the region approximately coincident with the center of curvature of the cylindrical wall 16. They do not intersect because the paths of the streams are axially displaced along the line A. By reason of the fact that the streams convergetoward the line A, but do not intersect each other, the exit slot 20 and consequently the entire surface area of the cover 4 is minimized.

The angular relation of the axes of the nozzle ports 18 with respect to the axis of the discharge tube 12, or with respect to a vertical plane passing through the center line A, varies progressively. For example, as shown:in see ti-on in FIGURE 3, the relatively distal ports discharge their streams at a substantial angle a represented by the broken lines B, whereas the port shown in section in FIG- URE 4, located in the vertical plane through the slot 24}, discharges essentially. vertically. This arrangement of ports also. compensates for the departure of the ends of the crossing axis, represented by line A, from the are formed by the curved slot 20. This results in an even distribution of water throughout the width of the ir rigated area, that is, in the direction indicated by D in FIGURE 1. The uniform motion of the oscillating shaft and its discharge tube results in uniform distribution in the direction C of the irrigated areas.

It is feasible with the wave sprinkler to cover in the range of 2500 sq. ft., whereas a conventional spray head discharging in a radial direction from a center covers approximately 100 sq. ft.

With a conventional sprinkler discharging from a single orifice, it is essential, in order to obtain good distribution, that the water stream break up. This is not neces-' sary nor desirable with the Wave sprinkler; that is, distribution is not dependent upon break-up of the water stream. Asa consequence, the wave springler isnot critically dependent upon the water pressure at the nozzle,

whereas the conventional sprinkler referred to is quite critical in this respect.'

Also it is feasible to operate the wave sprinkler at low pressures in'the range between, but not limited to, 10-25 pounds per square inch so that low precipitation and low gallons per minute discharge may be aifected in order to minimize, runoff.

While the sprinkler is shown in the drawings as set in the center of the irrigated area, it should be borne in mind that one or the other of the sets of ports may be omitted so that the sprinkler may be mounted at a margin of the irrigated area.

It should be noted that the discharge slot 14 is directed downward and that the chamber 15 within the sprinkler head is relatively large. As a result the pressure'within the chamber is essentially a static pressure and uniformly distributed throughout the chamber. Thus the pressure at the entrance ends of the nozzle ports 13 is equal so that the flow from the. jets may be uniform.

It will be noted that the housing 1 and fluid motor 9 may be buried in the ground. in fact, the cover 4 may be set well below the grass level so as to offer no interference with mowing; By reason of the fact that the main angular relationship of the jets to the surface of the ground need not be less than 45, it follows that the surface of the grass may be substantially higher than the cover 4 without interfering with the operation of the sprinkler.

While. a particular embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it is not intended to limit the same to the exact details of the construction set forth,

V (c) a sprinkler head capping said supply tube;

(d) and a plurality of nozzles carried by said sprinkler head, the axes of said nozzles converging and crossing at points in proximity to a common axis lying in a plane traversing the axis. of v oscillation of said supply tube, said points being spaced along said common axis, whereby the water streams from said nozzle do not impinge on each other.

2. A wave sprinkler, comprising:

(a) a water supply tube;

(b) means forv oscillating said supply tube about its axis;

(c) a sprinkler headcapping'said supply tube;

(d) a plurality of nozzles carried by said sprinkler head, the axes of said nozzles converging and crossing at points in proximity'to a common axis lying in a plane traversing the axis of oscillation of said supply tube, said points being spaced along said common axis, whereby the water streams from said nozzle do not impinge on each other;

(e) anda housing encasing said sprinkler head and defining an arcuate slot essentially tangent to the common crossing axis of said water streams.

3. A wave sprinkler, comprising:

(a) an oscillatable water supply tube defining ahorizontal axis;

(b) and a plurality of nozzles communicating with said supply tube and having axes intersecting a common axis region crossing said horizontal axis radially thereof, said nozzle axes crossing said common axis at spaced points and the angular relations of said nozzle axes with respect to said horizontal axis being pro gressively different.

4. A Wave sprinkler, comprising:

(a) an oscillatable water supply tube defining a horizontal axis;

(b) a plurality of nozzles communicating with said supply tube and having axes intersecting a common axis region crossing said horizontal axis radially thereof, said nozzle axes crossing said common axis at spaced points and the angular relations of said nozzle axes withrespect to said horizontal axisbeing progressively different;

(c) and a housing encasing said sprinkler head and defining a clearance slot for water streams issuing from said nozzles; 1

5. A wave sprinkler, comprising:

(a) a housing structure;

(b a horizontal tubular shaft connected with a water "(e) and a sprinkler head including a series of nozzles communicating with said tubular shaft defining axes converging toward a common axis essentially tangent to said slot and continuing in diverging directions from said common axis, said nozzle axes being spaced along the common axis whereby streams issuing from I said nozzles clear each other.

6. A Wave sprinkler, comprising:

(a) a housing structure;

(b) a horizontal tubular shaft connected with a water supply and disposed in said housing, said shaft having an exit slit at its underside;

(c) a motor for oscillating said shaft about its horizontal axis;

(a') a cover for said housing structure defining an arcu ate slot disposed above and essentially concentric with the axis of said shaft, and having walls diverging upwardly from the margins of said slot;

(e) and a sprinkler head enveloping said shaft and forming therearound a water-receiving chamber, said sprinkler head having a concave upper side and a series of nozzle ports extending therethrough;

( said nozzle ports defining axes converging upwardly toward a common axis essentially tangent to said slot,

and continuing in diverging directions from said cornmon axis, and said nozzle axes being displaced along 5 the arc defined by said slot whereby streams issuing from said nozzle ports flow in independent paths.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 2,601,559 Riblet June 24, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 991,641 France June 27, 1951 

3. A WAVE SPRINKLER, COMPRISING: (A) AN OSCILLATABLE WATER SUPPLY TUBE DEFINING A HORIZONTAL AXIS; (B) AND A PLURALITY OF NOZZLES COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SUPPLY TUBE AND HAVING AXES INTERSECTING A COMMON AXIS REGION CROSSING SAID HORIZONTAL AXIS RADIALLY THEREOF, SAID NOZZLE AXES CROSSING SAID COMMON AXIS AT SPACED POINTS AND THE ANGULAR RELATIONS OF SAID NOZZLE 